Happy Mother's Day, from the Lennon Sisters

Thursday

May 8, 2014 at 5:45 AMMay 8, 2014 at 5:30 PM

By R. Scott ReedyWicked Local Arts correspondent

The list of child stars and teen pop sensations whose transitions to adulthood play out in the tabloids is long, but you won’t find the Lennon Sisters – who first gained fame almost 60 years ago on "The Lawrence Welk Show" – anywhere on it. According to Kathy Lennon, there is a simple reason for the lack of dirty laundry about the singing sisters."We did the laundry, and we also did the dishes," said Lennon by telephone recently from her home in Branson, Missouri. "There were 11 children in our family and we had incredible parents who made sure to keep us grounded. It was a simpler time then, of course, and when we weren’t working, we were at home living normal lives with our brothers and sisters. We’ve lasted because we get along and respect each other first as sisters, then as performers. Our career never defined who we were."That career began in earnest on Christmas Eve 1955, when the quartet of Dianne (DeeDee), Peggy, Kathy and Janet Lennon made their debut on Welk’s show after being brought to the attention of the senior Welk by Lawrence, Jr., a high school classmate of Dianne’s. Before long, they added a weekly television show to those "normal lives," and had hit records, including their first, the 1956 release "Tonight, You Belong to Me," and later the No. 1 hit "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)." Today, while DeeDee and Peggy have both retired, Kathy – who was 12 when the group was formed – and Janet, joined by younger sister, Mimi, perform regularly at Andy Williams’ Moon River Theatre in Branson and on the road. The now three-member Lennon Sisters will be at the Robinson Theatre in Waltham on May 11 for a Mother’s Day matinee."Mimi was born the year we started on the Welk show so she was not a part of the original group. Her voice blends beautifully with ours, though, so it feels completely natural to have her join Janet and me. Our show is very nostalgic. It takes people back to simpler times when they could sit with their parents and their grandparents and listen to us sing. It is often very emotional for people, because it brings back so many memories."For the Lennon Sisters, those memories include 13 years with Welk, and the subsequent opportunity to work with other show business legends including Perry Como, Andy Williams, Jimmy Durante and Dinah Shore."It was very hard to leave the Welk show, but by 1968 we knew it was time. We had young families and we needed to go out on our own. Mr. Welk had always been like a grandfather to us, though, and he wanted us to stay. He was hurt when we finally left and so were we, but it all worked out. We’ve stayed close with the crew and many of the other Welk performers, too. It was like we had all gone to school together on that show. Not long after we left Welk, we co-starred on the ‘Jimmy Durante Presents the Lennon Sisters Hour’ series and then joined ‘The Andy Williams Show.’ We headlined in Las Vegas, toured worldwide and guest-starred on just about every talk and variety TV series."Lennon promises something for everyone in Waltham."Our Mother’s Day shows are always quite emotional. We were very close to our mother, whom we lost in 2005, and between us brothers and sisters, there are 35 nieces and nephews. Our show will include our own songs, of course, but also Broadway show tunes, a medley of hit songs from the 1960s and ‘70s, and tributes to the Andrews Sisters, the McGuire Sisters, Patti Page, and Rosemary Clooney. We’ll also pay tribute to our parents, Mr. Welk and others on video."The show won’t stop when the curtain comes down either, and, in keeping with a long-held tradition, the sisters will hold a meet-and-greet following the performance."Our father taught us early on to respect our fans and never take them for granted. He was so right, of course, because our fans are the reason we have lasted all these years. We love meeting them in person to share memories. Very often, older men will ask to take a photo with us and say, usually to Janet, ‘You were my first girlfriend.’ We get a big kick out of hearing their stories."As those fans and others know well, the closing theme of the Welk show was "Adios, Au Revoir, Auf Wiedersehen." Lennon isn’t sure, however, when she will be ready to pop that final champagne bubble and apply that familiar George Cates melody to her own long career."When Peggy and DeeDee each said it was time to retire, we understood and respected their decisions," says the 70-year-old Lennon. "Janet (now 67) and I think about retirement every day. And I mean every day. People keep showing up for every performance we give, though, and we still want to entertain them so that’s what we plan on continuing to do."The Lennon SistersWHEN: Sunday,May 11 at 2 p.m.WHERE: Robinson Theatre, 617 Lexington St., WalthamTICKETS:$35-$63 (with a 15 percent discount for mothers)INFO:781-891-5600; reaglemusictheatre.com